Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Five-star review of All Systems Red: the Murderbot Diaries 1 by Martha Wells

 

There’s a reason these books are so popular and spawned a TV series. This isn’t your normal science fiction. The humor alone is unusual. The Security Bot who calls itself Murderbot has a great sense of what’s absurd about humans, including the survey team it was assigned to, and about its predicament. This novella is fast-paced and a fun read. I loved Murderbot and all the members of the team. Each character is well-rounded. I’m looking forward to reading more of the series and hope it maintains this level.

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Five-star review of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This story went from the cliched romantic triangle between a poor girl who doesn’t know the powers she possesses, her childhood friend and a handsome and magnetic powerful man to something much more sinister. Alina and her friend Mal grew up as orphans under the benevolent watch of a nobleman. When they leave they become soldiers but crossing the shadow fold, a dark and mysterious area between Ravka and the sea, Alina releases the magic inside her. She is selected to be one of the Grisha and catches the eye of the Darkling. Alina’s character arc is off to a good start in this book. I loved that many names are echoes of places in Russia and are vividly described. I’ll continue this series to find out what happens next.